The Pilgrimage to #SHRMVLS

I haven’t gone back and counted, but I would bet that I have written at least 10 of these posts, “Headed to SHRM VLS.”

One might ask why do you keep coming back?  I guess the short answer is because I can. The event is a wonderful event for the fully engaged or want to be fully engaged SHRMies.  The conference is attended by chapter presidents, state directors and many of the other key chapter and state council board members.  In short, we come together and drink the SHRM Kool-Aid. 

For the long-timers, now it is like a family reunion or any other get together of those friends that only get to see one another once a year or so.

There will be many newbies, i.e. first timers in town for the event as well.  So, for the rest of us, it is our charge to get them as jacked up about this stuff as the old-timers are.

Early Thursday morning the event starts with trip to Capitol Hill. It is typically comprised of  400+ of the faithful going to The Hill and representing SHRM and the nearly 300,000 HR pros that make up the organization. I have made this trip numerous times, and I will tell you that it feels very empowering.  If you attend the event this year and did not go. next year, plan to do so.  As a SHRM board member you need to do this at least once.

Hank Jackson and me at #SHRM17

Back to the hotel for the opening event after The Hill visit, and it will be a special day. We will hear from SHRM CEO Hank Jackson for the last time.  Hank is retiring.  He will be missed. In my opinion he has done a stellar job leading the organization through good times and bad.  If we could I would like to dedicate Friday 11/17 to thank Hank.  So, if you tweet and you use the #SHRMVLS tag, on Friday also include the hashtag #ThanksHank as a show of support and thanks.  Hank is a quiet modest fellow and does not want much fanfare but at least us tweeters can salute our outgoing CEO.

So as the old guy leaves we are going to meet the “new guy” Johnny Taylor.  He is not new to SHRM or HR.  He has been the chairman of the board in the mid-2000s.  I was around then, and I can tell you he is a charming, witty, engaging leader. I will be most interested to hear from him and his plans for the organization.

Friday and Saturday are meetings and SHRM business. Enjoy this. This is the purpose of the whole event.

Other thoughts on the event.

·       Learn

·       Network connect with as many people as you can

·       Immerse yourself in the event

·       Share

·       Sleep as little as possible

·       Smile

And if you haven’t met my friend Steve Browne (SHRM Board Member and Pizza guy from Ohio) seek him out.  Steve always says he wants to meet EVERYONE at any event he attends.  He is not kidding.

-Dave Ryan Director ILSHRM

SHRM VLS 2016

​

It's the week before Thanksgiving, deer hunting season opens this week in the Midwest and the SHRM Volunteer Leaders Summit is taking place. This annual event is many things to many people but as I reflect on the event, I can easily group folks into three groups.

The newbies, are the first or second timers. Welcome! These are the folks who are new to their SHRM leadership role and have been dispatched to #SHRMVLS (as we call it on twitter, Facebook and Instagram) to see what this is all about and what is expected of them. At the other end of the spectrum is the "old timers" or veterans. These folks have been attended since the event was called SHRM Leadership and it was held at the Crystal City Marriot. Then the other group would be those that don't fit into these other two groups.

VLS has several objectives. One is to initiate volunteer leaders to their new roles. Another is to update all attendees on SHRM's path and mission. Then there is the Capitol Hill visits, whereupon nearly 500 volunteer leaders go to Capitol Hill and offer the SHRM position on the legislative issues that are "in play". It would also be the hope that the trips to Capitol Hill result in some deeper relationships with our elected representatives. Lastly I think the conference is about "amping up" the leaders before they are sent back home. This is usually accomplished though the keynote addresses.  Most of the speakers at these events are damn good. They motivate us and tug at our heartstrings.

                   

For the long-term volunteers, there is one more aspect to the event. Us "old dogs" get to see our old friends, the ones we have met over the years. These are the like-minded people who share a passion for Human Resources, volunteering and networking. We seem to gravitate to one and other.  These relationships run long and deep!  (I challenge you to meet 50 new people at the event.)

Having said all of that, I may have totally missed the mark, for you; but this is what VLS is all about but these have been my takeaways over the years.

And just in case you didn't know this SHRM's Martha Ramirez was the lead person on this event for last year (2015) and this year. In Illinois, last year we were so proud of Martha for doing a great job with the event, the Illinois State Council of SHRM presented Martha with a board resolution congratulating her on what an awesome conference she assembled. She has set the bar high for this year.

Don't forget to download SHRM's new conference app. It is available in the iTunes Store of the Google Play Store.  This app will keep you plugged into all that is going on at each SHRM event.

Looking forward to a great conference, I hope to meet all of you!!

- Dave Ryan ISC SHRM Director Elect

Dive In – My First SHRM VLS Experience

Today's Post is from Mike Spinale.  Mike currently is the IL SHRM Director of Diversity. Look for more posts from Mike as we move into 2016.  We thank Mike for his contribution and look forward to hearing more from him. 

I recently attended the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) annual Volunteer Leaders Summit (VLS) in Washington.  This annual event brings together HR professionals from across the country that volunteer their time in dedication to our profession.  About 800 leaders, of Chapters and State Councils, came together to discuss best practices, share ideas, and celebrate the work we do through these roles.

The ILSHRM delegation at Sen. Kirks Office.

This was my first SHRM VLS, and while I was looking forward to the learning I’d get by attending sessions at the conference – I was even more excited for Advocacy Day, which brought delegations of HR people to Capitol Hill to meet with our respective Senator’s and Representative’s offices about important employment laws affecting the HR field and the businesses we serve.  

My excitement turned to anxiety, however, when I found out that I had been “nominated” (read: voluntold) to be the lead speaker on behalf of our ILSRHM delegation.  “What?  Me!??!  During my first VLS?!?!?  Nooooooo!!”  But with the encouragement and coaching of our leadership and my colleagues, I fought my discomfort and while I was obviously nervous, I was able to muster the courage and make our case.  I felt great and the positive feedback received from my colleagues made me feel proud.  I strolled off Capitol Hill with an extra bounce in my step.

After going through this experience, it reminded me of how important it is to push the envelope, to not be afraid of uncomfortable situations, and to put yourself out there.  I learned so much from the actual doing, much more than if I sat back and observed.  So don’t be afraid – do the talking and take the lead – and you’ll see how much you’ll learn!  

Mike Spinale  ISC SHRM Director of Diversity

SHRM VLS 2015 - Continued

Yesterday I posted about attending the SHRM Volunteer Leaders’ Summit (#SHRMLead) and talked about the Pinnacle Awards.  And while the Pinnacle awards are a big part of the event, there is another aspect of the event that continues to take place year after year.  I am going to call it SHRM Lobby Day.  Every Thursday morning on the week of the event the SHRM ATeam  (Mike Aitken and his most capable staff) very quickly turn HR pros into amateur lobbyist. 

SHRM trains and equips these folks for a trip to Capitol Hill, to talk to their Senators and Representative and provide them with SHRMs position on the Legislation d’jour.  Every time I have ever attended I share’s SHRM’s position on these issues to a tea.  What this does is it not only allows the HR pro to articulate SHRM position on the matter, but they can then embellish that position with stories from their state or HR shop – adding to SHRM’s credibility as the go to source on HR matters. I am convinced this impacts our legislators.

I have had the pleasure of making this trip six times.  Five times were as a part of the SHRM Leadership event and I attended once as part of the SHRM Legislative Conference.

The trips are empowering and make HR pros feel like you actually can have an impact on the going ons in Washington DC.   So if you are afforded the chance to go to Capitol Hill … do it, the experience will be most enriching.

Now for a different prospective on the event I want to share/recycle an older blog post written by someone I think very highly of, my son Danny Ryan.  Danny got to hang out with his dad for a couple of days at the event in 2012, and see what it really goes on at the event.  So for a different prospective on the event, please click through and check out this post called On Vacation at SHRM Leadership.

The Cliff - The Hill And A Voice

The ILSHRM Crew posing before lobbying.

The end of the year has passed now, and the jury is still out on whether or not my efforts and the efforts of 380 of my SHRM peers will really pay dividends.   During the SHRM Leadership Conference, we were part of the largest contingent from any Leadership Conference to storm The Hill.   Our message had mostly to do with preserving existing tax code, for employee benefits.  We spoke about preserving benefits for college reimbursement, health care deductions, and the continuation of tax credits for retirement contributions. So with the Fiscal Cliff behind us it would appear that our efforts were effective, in as much as we did not hear about these benes  being whacked, in the 11th or maybe I should say 26th hour.  But this whole mess got me to wondering, did our efforts really matter? Was it worthwhile?

I have been involved in business and life long enough to know that you don't win all the battles, just ask Mr. Obama or Mr. Boehner.. Sometimes any small success is a victory. So even if our trip to The Hill does not result in the exact outcomes that we desired, we (all of us who participated) all made progress in the relationship building area.  This is largely what the whole effort  of going to Capitol Hill, is all about, the relationship thing,  I like many others am trying to build a relationship with our folks in Congress, so that if they ever have questions or need information about HR, they might contact me.  Remember, and the SHRM A Team tells  us this repeatedly, there are only two members on Capitol Hill who have any experience as an HR practitioner.  You can do the math 2 divided by 535 is 0.003,  three tenths of one percent, a very small minority.

These folks in Congress are busy every minute of the day and if you can make just a small in-road into getting their ear about an issue or two that is a success. While we did not get to speak to either one of my Illinois Senators, my group did get to speak with our Congressman Aaron Schock from Peoria, IL.  Rep. Schock listened to our issues as did his staffers.  As for the Illinois Senators, we did not see Sen. Kirk as he was still recovering from a stroke.  Regarding Senator Durbin, nothing was said regarding his whereabouts.  We did meet with one of his staffer, who was most gracious and attentive - but at my advanced age they all (All Congressional Staffer) make me feel like I am talking to my children.

While some of the HR folks who attend the Lobby Day are overwhelmed by the whole process, I find it exciting and invigorating to be that close to the process and to think that I actually do.... have a voice!

-Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC-SHRM

SHRM Lobby Day

This week I will be starring in my own version of Mr. Smith goes to Washington.  I have the good fortune to be attending the SHRM Leadership Conference. This year there will be over 900 volunteer leaders at the Crystal Gateway Marriott. We will be hearing about the SHRM agenda,  sitting through sessions on agenda items, seeing the Pinnacle Awards being handed out, and networking with one and other.

I will be arriving on Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning I am having breakfast with over 400 other SHMR members and volunteer leaders,  who will be descending onto Capitol Hill as pseudo lobbyists.  Mr.Michael Layman, one of SHRM's official lobbyists has done some cursory preparations with the group last week. He presented an hour long webinar for attendees to hear what our mission was going to be. I have accepted the mission and am most excited about it.

We will be meeting with members from our House Districts in the morning and then with Senators in the afternoon.  While they have prepared us to expect to meet with Staffers in many instances, I am sure a number of folks will actually have a chance to speak to their elected representatives.  SHRM does have an official agenda for each of us, either as groups or individual, to present to our legislators. It is important that we do this.  As it was explained to me earlier in the week of the 535 Senators and House Members - 2 yes Two of them actually have practical experience in Human Resources. Expressed as a percentage 0.4% of our elected representative have HR experience - shocking!

We will have more than 20 attendees from Illinois at the conference.  Of those there will be at least three making the trip over to Captiol Hill . We will share with you our fledgling lobbying efforts later in the week, as well other goodies coming from the conference.  Stay tuned!

- Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM